Housebreaking was easier than I expected. The task only got easier the more I did it, to the point where it seemed almost effortless. It helped that the town was empty, and it looked like nobody would be coming back any time soon. House 18 was the next victim—or, so I thought.
There was no car outside. Very few buildings in this town had a garage, and this wasn't one of those. When the military initiated the safe zone, everyone fled to Atlanta. Like us. One car I did find was a classic Corvette—a project someone had taken on, but it didn't even have an engine under the bonnet. I didn't have to be an expert to realise that it wouldn't work.
The house was only ten minutes from where I was staying, but it was much closer to the outskirts of town. Flowers were grown in the front garden, some purple and blue ones leaning against the red bricks of the building. A white fence enclosed the front garden.
I straightened the red bandana on my head, holding the hair back that fell from the low, messy bun I was keeping it in. The gate creaked open when I pushed it, the paint crumbling beneath my fingertips. Creeping up to the house, I dropped my yellow backpack on the ground. I stepped over to the window at my side and kneeled. My nose pressed against the glass; I hoped to peek under the drawn curtains, but the room was too dark. My hands cupped around my face, and I squinted as if it would help.
There was a crash from inside the room, and the curtains were swept aside in front of me. I hit the ground with a thud, a shriek emanating from my throat. I pushed myself back, my red converse trainers slipping against the ground.
A woman pressed against the window, slamming her hand down against the glass. She was growling and snapping, her head twisting in ways that seemed not human. Her ragged hair fell in front of her face when her body jerked to the side. A streak of dried blood curled down and around her arms from the source of a bite mark.
It was one of them.
The sick people.
I scrambled to my feet, almost tripping over as I grabbed my bag from the ground next to me. Before I could leave, I noticed a piece of paper held down by a ceramic flower pot. It was barely visible. I yanked it out, bolting away from the house.
She would have eventually broken through the window, and I wasn't going to wait around for that to happen. When I was far enough away, I opened the folded piece of paper. DO NOT ENTER! SICK INSIDE!
"Yeah," I panted. "No kidding."
I had to put it back, leave it somewhere more visible. If someone tried going into that house, they wouldn't know about the woman inside. They could make a bigger mistake than I almost did. I decided to pack it in my bag and see if there was a way I could leave it for people to see.
It had only been minutes before I returned to the house we were hiding in—number five. Pulling one arm from the strap of my bag, I twisted it around to the front of me. The keys were in the small pocket on the front of the bag. I entered the passage, locking the door behind me.
The walkie was still on the kitchen table, still disassembled. I haven't been able to find the parts for it, not even a replacement. Not yet.
Dropping my bag on the sofa, I headed upstairs to one of the front bedrooms. The canopy above the porch stuck out just under the windows. Sliding my fingers under the window, I lifted it open and climbed out onto the roof. It was later in the afternoon. The sun was setting behind the house; it left a nice shadow to sit in for a little while.
The canopy gave the best view of the street, allowing me to see down either end. I sat down next to the window, pulling my knees close to my chest. Part of me wanted to go back downstairs and get my iPod, so I didn't have to sit here and watch the shadows engulf the street in silence, but then I would miss all the action that happened out here.
I internally scoffed at my joke.
The streets were always quiet, which is why I perked up when a car's engine cut through the dead silence. I leaned forwards, pushing myself onto my knees. The car pulled up across the street. I squinted, trying to get a better look into the window.
Is that . . . ?
No.
Some guy stepped out from the car, dragging a green backpack alongside him. A red and orange baseball cap covered his face, and I could see a tuft of black hair sticking out from the bottom. He looked around at each house before jogging up to the pathway next door. The porch steps creaking under his feet.
Subtle, I thought sarcastically.
I crawled across the canopy, the tiles scraping under my shoes. It was surprising that he didn't see me. He tried pushing the handle down, shaking the door.
Before he could start making any more noise, I called out to him. "The key is under the mat!"
He let out a loud yelp, his head whipped back to look up at me. His hand reached up and covered his heart.
"Oh my God—" he choked out.
"Sorry," I apologised before repeating. "The key is under the mat."
It took him a few seconds to even understand what I was saying. He kneeled down and flipped the matt over, grabbing the key from the ground. When he stood up, he held it up to me, showing me that he had found it. "Thanks."
"I wouldn't look in any of the kitchen cupboards," I sat back on the tiles, dangling over the side of the canopy. "We cleared out the food a week ago. I'm not entirely sure what you're looking for, but there could be some other useful stuff in there."
"Are there houses you haven't raided?"
I shrugged. "One of them had a sick person inside."
It looked like he didn't want to hear that. His gaze moved to the ground and, he rubbed his hands over his face. After a moment, he looked back up at me.
"I'm Glenn," he introduced. "What's your name?"
I hesitated. "Ace."
"I guess you aren't from around here."
I knew he was referring to my accent. It was clear that to the average American, I sounded extremely British, even though I'd lived in this country most of my life. We moved over when I was little. I travelled back and forth between the countries a lot, so I kept the accent throughout my life.
"You know, that's a little racist," I tried to hide my smile when I glanced down at him. "I didn't bring up the fact that you're Asian."
He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm actually Korean," I raised my eyebrows, looking down at him, and he continued. "But, I deserve that one."
I hummed in agreement.
Glenn looked down at the key in his hand. He seemed unsure of what to say next, not that I blamed him; he was probably surprised that I even existed. I felt the same way about him. Glenn was the first person I'd seen since. . .
"What are you doing up there?" He asked. "It's a little creepy."
"Sorry."
"Is there any chance we could talk on the ground?"
I nodded. "Wait there."
I stood up, carefully walking across the tiles and climbing back in through the bedroom window. I practically ran down the stairs and through the living room to meet Glenn at the front door. He was waiting there silently, glancing around over his shoulders before following me inside.
"Are you alone here?" I glanced back at him over my shoulder, an eyebrow raised. He must've noticed my look because he immediately continued his train of thought. "I only ask because I'm staying with this group of people up by a quarry near Atlanta. It's safe there. No geeks."
"Geeks? I repeated in an uncertain tone. Geeks? "Do you mean the sick people?"
"If that's what you call them."
I pursed my lips, my head tilting to the side as I thought about what he said. "Is the quarry the safe zone?"
All the news broadcasts talked about Atlanta—how everyone needed to go to Atlanta. The military was supposed to be setting up a quarantine zone. What Glenn was saying didn't really scream quarantine zone to me.
His hand rubbed the back of his neck. "No, the-uh. . . the safe zone didn't work out. The military stopped letting people in. But, a group of people on the highway decided to stay up by the quarry, so I went with them."
I knew that staying with a group of people would be better than living alone. Safer than living alone. It was exactly what my dad was looking for when he left the house; he wanted to find people to help.
"I can't go."
He blinked rapidly, his head tilting back a little. "Why not?"
"I have to wait here," I stated. "My dad went to look for some help; if I leave, he won't know where I've gone."
Glenn pressed his lips into a thin line, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just . . . I don't feel comfortable leaving you here. It's not safe."
I knew it was because of my age; I had just turned fifteen a month ago. "You don't really have that choice."
He let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess."
I looked over to the window, noticing that the shadows had basically reached the bottom of the houses across the street. "It'll be getting dark soon," I nodded to the door. "You should probably get going. If you want some food, then I could give you some. We raided pretty much every house on this street."
"I wouldn't take your supplies," Glenn shook his head.
I glanced off to the side, inhaling deeply as I thought of another option. "There are still a lot of houses around here. I've only really emptied this street and some odd houses here and there."
Glenn nodded. "Yeah, I'd have to talk to the group. We have enough supplies for now."
"Okay."
I walked him back to the door, opening it for him and standing to the side so he could squeeze past through the narrow hallway. Before he left, he turned to look at me.
"Bye."
"Bye, Glenn," I smiled.
I closed the door on him and locked it. Hearing the rumble of the engine leaving the street, I walked away from the door and back into the house.
After years of waiting, it's finally out. Writing this fanfic has taught me a few things, for one, how indecisive I am. That is why I have been pre-writing chapters, giving me the chance to go back and change anything I think of.
Where'sMyPenn has been extremely helpful, writing a lot of scenes to help me, and I am internally grateful. I can not express enough how much help Penn has been. Go take a look at Just Gone (if you haven't been sent from there), because it is the best. I cannot stress that enough.
Let me know how my first chapters did, and I hope you enjoyed :)
